Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-05-08
AN OPEN LETTER.
Eel Ham mon DIS Deputfes make a
strong Appeal.

l StTOuE ARYc@fs
The deputies in the Tax Collectors
office, under the regime of the late NJ
Hammond, have issued the following
appeal to the voters and taxpayers OF
! Los Angeles county.
The undersigned, Deputy County Tax
Collectors, presented to the Board OF
Supervisors of this county, on the hrst
Monday in April, their claims for SER
vi o, rendered as such deputies during
the Month of March, 1887.
The amounts were respectively as fol-
lows: SS333 for l. s. Mackenzie,
SS3. SO for AL. Cobler and $S3.33 for h.
s. Platt. These bills were by the board
disallowed at their regular session IN
April upon the grounds that neither OF
us had ever been deputy Tax Collector,
not having taken the oath OF oiiice as
such. We are willing and anxious to
make affidavit that neither one OF
us were ever asked to take any
such oath; and, furthermore, we indi-
vidually and separately can state that
we know that, with very few exceptions,
no deputy or deputies, be they male or
female, ever were asked to or did take
such an oath ia the offices Of this county.
Two wrongs do not make right. We
have asked the Board several times to
allow us our respective claims, not claim
ing the same in law, but in equity. We
know the law, but then the law is ex-
pansive; it blows hot and it blows cold,
as to the Interpretation Of the same.
We did the work required to be done
in the County Tax Collectors office dur.
ing the month of March, and we will
guarantee that every tax collector of
this county who saw us work will say we
did it expeditiously and well, and we
claim that we are entitled to our pay
for said work, irrespective of any legal
bubble that may be interviewed by any
member Of the Board Of Supervisors Of
Los Angeles county. We are well sat |
istied and assured by several members
Of the Board that our claims are
just and correct, yet certain one of the
Board who is full of illegal acumen, con
.inually says "law" will not permit that
We should pay these men. II we were
not deputies then every act we have |
lone is illegal. Every signature we have
annexed to a tax receipt, or the tax sale |
conducted and made by Mackenzie as
leputy at request of Hammond was IL |
egal, and to-day no person will accept |
II any tax title for sale, made in Febru.
ny, 1884, for taxes of 1886 made under
hat date.
If we we're not deputies why did Mr..
Rowan as Chairman of the Board of
Osaar Manx,
me of the Board. ask Mackenzie on
friday, May 25th, to hand in his resig.
lation as Deputy County Tax Collec.
or, so that he could act as expert upon
he books of Ell Hammond, Tax Collec-
or of this county? Why did they ask
Mr.. Cobler also on the 25th of March,
o take the charge of the Tax Collectors
fiice and conduct the business of the
anne in as good and perfect manner as
heretofore had been done by AL. Cobler,
Is Chief Deputy for Hammond, stating
o him that he, said Cob!er, should have
harge of the office until such time as
dr. Hammond's successor had been
luly and legally elected and qualified.
In oEe moment th5y recognize us as
Equities, and in the next when we ask
or our hard.earued pay they deny that
We ever were deputies. The last effort
re made to obtain our rights was on
he 9TH of May. The Board accepted
{ our communication and ordered the
anne filed, which in plain English
neaus shelved.
With these few remarks we leave it
0 you, taxpayers and citizens of Los
angeles county, whether the Board of
supervisors can afford to take the re-
possibility of ignoring all, each and
very one of our acts as Deputy County
lax Collectors, and by doing 50 embroil
he county in litigation that will last
onger, iu our judgment, than the time
ghen they say, through theh illegal
olleague," that the law will allow them
0 pay to some one Ell Hammond's sal
ry warrant of March, 1887.
Respectfully,
JAMES :. MACKENZIE,
AL. CoBLER,
ROBERT ). PLATT.